Let's Read a Good Book......"The Four Winds" by Kristin Hannah

 

 

I don't know when a book has touched me like " The Four Winds" did.  It is set in a time period I don't usually read and I kept putting off starting it but once I did I didn't want to put it down and at the same time it is so painful I had to come up for air every not and then.   These characters will become a part of you and you will feel like you are living every dust storm, flood and blistering hot day right there with them.   Even though I am a US history buff this book brought to life a time that I think gets skimmed over in history but you will never ever forget it now.   After reading this book you will be grateful for every bit of food, every drink of water and a roof ( no matter how many leaks) over your head.  I believe you will be profoundly different when you close this book.

Thank you to the publisher (St. Martin's Press) and /or author (Kristin Hannah) via NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

Let's Read A Good Book......Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder ( Hannah Swensen #27) by Joanne Fluke

 

 

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake Murder ( Hannah Swensen #27) by Joanne Fluke

 First ...Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for allowing me to read this book. 

 
As a long time fan of Hannah's, I have read all 27 books and as a fan of this series, I’m always anxious to read the next one.   That being said the series went off course about the time Ross showed up and seems to be floundering.  I will keep reading them,  hoping they will get back on course and will be very sad when they end yet I'm disappointed that they never seem to go any where.  Hannah should have married Norman somewhere around book 7 when they designed a house together, instead after 27 books, he's being written like her gay best friend.  Mike, who I have always found obnoxious has now turned into a slacker, who is also a pig.  In the last 2 books he's done no police work,  he eats 5 times as much as everyone else and it's always someone else feeding him,  he never picks up the bill.   
  I found Hannah's good self, bad self conversations plain stupid, it reads like a mental disorder and  seemed to be written to take up space.  Also, since when do people call each other by name in every sentence?
  These books are so far from where they started that there is no way they are being written by the same person.  I understand once you are established you can hire ghost writers but at least hire good ones that have read the first books and will be true to the characters.  And don't even get me started on 50% of these books are now recipes.
  I could keep going but I think you get my drift by now,  all that being said I will keep reading the books,  hoping Hannah's  like turns into the fairy tale I've been looking for since book one!

Let's Read a Good Book..... The Restoration of Celia Fairchild by Marie Bostwick

 

 The Restoration of Celia Fairchild  by Marie Bostwick  was one of the best books I have read in a while.
First,  I loved the characters from the very first page and would love to have a besty  like Celia and her bff Calvin.  Second, it was set in Charleston, which I love, and I enjoyed the memories of walking down Kings Street and eating at Poogan's Porch.  The characters feel like normal, every day people,  with lives full of ups and downs, the way they all come together and become friend and family will leave you feeling good with a big smile on your face and a happy heart.   This is a book you NEED to read!

 Thank you to #NetGalley  for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

Let's Read a Good Book......Wrapped Up In Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn

 

   

Wrapped Up In Christmas Joy by Janice Lynn

This is a sweet romance that would be perfect for curling up with after the hub bub of Christmas.   The characters are interesting and enjoyable,  this is the perfect Hallmark movie book.  The author wraps the story around the Quilts of Valor Foundation.   ( The Mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover Service Members and Veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor. )  This is a story of a vet that needs to feel lovable and a quilter that seeks to do that.
If you want a book that leaves you feeling happy, this is a must read.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Hallmark publishing for allowing me to read and review this ARC.